What happens when your inner critic takes over — even when you’re more than capable?

A new project lands. Something you haven’t done before.
You know you can handle it…
and yet your whole system goes into overdrive.

You prepare. And prepare. And prepare some more.
You lose a bit of sleep. The pressure rises.
The results are usually great — but they come at a cost.

Not because you’re incapable.
But because you don’t hear trust yourself — you hear your inner critic.

In this episode of Coach Me If You Can, I’m joined by leadership coach and author Julie Smith, who literally wrote the book on this: Coach Yourself Confident.

Together, we explore what’s really happening when confidence and capability don’t line up — and how the inner critic quietly pushes us past the sweet spot of enough preparation into stress and self-doubt.

Julie coaches me live through my own “everything depends on this” pattern and shows:

• how to recognise when the inner critic has taken over

• why over-preparing can erode self-trust

• how to find the sweet spot of just enough preparation

• and how confidence grows when you learn to trust yourself from there

This is a conversation about learning to coach yourself — especially when you’re capable, committed, and still doubting yourself.

That’s why speaking to Julie was such a gift.

About the guest
Julie Smith is a leadership coach and the author of Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the self-doubt tax, unlock humble confidence.
🔗 Book & Julie’s work: https://www.talentsprout.co.uk/coach-yourself-confident

More from Coach Me If You Can
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Imagine two versions of you running in parallel.
One wakes up foggy, tired, slightly behind the day, the version of you shaped by evening drinks that “aren’t a problem… but aren’t helping.”
The other wakes up clear, energised, grounded, and fully alive, the version that’s possible when alcohol no longer calls the shots.

In this episode, Peter sits down with Rich Casement, founder of Clean Break, to explore the role alcohol quietly plays in our energy, identity, and ability to show up as the person we want to be.

Rich has spent years helping people rewire their relationship with alcohol, not from a place of shame or labels, but from clarity, awareness, and possibility. Together they unpack:

In this conversation:
• The “two lives” you can live — and how alcohol decides which one you wake up in
• The haze, lethargy, and “going through the motions” many people mistake for normal
• Why we still drink even when we know all the consequences
• Alcohol’s impact on mornings, motivation, and parental guilt
• The identity shift that happens when someone takes a “clean break”
• Why moderation often fails (and why that’s not your fault)
• What begins to happen after 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days alcohol-free
• How to decide if alcohol is truly serving you
• A powerful coaching exercise you can do at home to understand why you drink
• The first signs that clarity is returning and what to do next

Whether you drink occasionally, socially, daily, or are simply questioning your habits, this episode offers a compassionate, honest and deeply human look at the version of you waiting on the other side of alcohol.

Connect with Rich Casement / Clean Break:
Website: THIS IS CLEAN BREAK COACHING
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-casement-315a5611/

Connect with Peter & Coach Me If You Can:
Website: https://www.coachmeifyoucan.show👉 Subscribe to the newsletter for upcoming episodes, coaching insights & behind-the-scenes updates.
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Breathe Like You Mean It — A Live Breathwork Journey with Daniele Scuteri

Most of us go through entire days without noticing how we breathe — shallow, rushed, and disconnected.
But what if the key to focus, calm, and energy was sitting quietly in your chest all along?

In this episode of Coach Me If You Can, Peter Weller is joined by Italian breathwork and well-being coach Daniele Scuteri — founder of Breathing Wellness Coaching and a certified facilitator of integrative breathwork.

Together, they explore how the breath bridges body and mind — and why mastering it can change everything from stress to sleep to self-awareness.

Then, midway through the episode, something different happens:
Daniele leads Peter (and you) through a five-minute live grounding session — a rare, real-time experiment where the conversation slows, the breathing deepens, and calm becomes audible.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How your breath mirrors your mental state — and how to reset it in seconds

• The science behind the “fight or flight” breath and how to reverse it

• Why stillness isn’t the absence of movement, but awareness of it

• How breathwork can reduce anxiety and sharpen focus

• A simple 5-minute daily practice to reconnect with your body

Sponsored by InnerBuddies
Your mental clarity begins in your gut. InnerBuddies helps you understand your inner ecosystem with a personalized microbiome test that connects gut health to energy, focus, and mood.
💡 Get 15% off with code: WELLERGUTS
👉 www.innerbuddies.com

Discover more:
Daniele Scuteri – Breathing Wellness Coach

Daniele Scuteri | LinkedIn
Peter Weller – Host of Coach Me If You Can | www.coachmeifyoucan.show

Have a question for Peter?
Want to recommend a coach, request a topic, or volunteer to be coached live on the show?
✉️ Email: peter@coachmeifyoucan.show

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That’s how we bring more calm into the chaos.

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